Satori Smiles Children's Book List

aulsmith: I suspect many children miss a lot of the romantic mysticism of this book. I certainly did. But it's never too early to fall in love with Mole and Rat.

aulsmith: Get the 1939 ed. not the one with the ants and the anti-war lectures that White added to The Once and Future King.

aulsmith: Just be prepared for your child to become a vegetarian for a while.

aulsmith: This is rather preachy. I'm not sure if current children would like it, but I'm a sucker for boarding school stories.

merrystar: Possibly an abridged version would be fine, but I think the original is a stretch for a kids' book list, hence the low rating.

ahef1963 : I simply can't bear the amount of ill-treatment of animals that is in this book. It's brutal.

merrystar: Just don't try to re-read it as an adult....

aulsmith : Only if you want your children immersed in Christian allegory.

aulsmith: Some of these are a slog. Skipping around seems best.

merrystar: Not really a children's book; more young adult.

aulsmith : This was a good adventure story, but the geology is rather lame.

aulsmith : I found this heavy going as an adult and don't think I would have liked it any better as a child. It's pretty didactic.

aulsmith: This might be too old. I mean the Metropolitan Opera isn't even in that building anymore. But the idea of the kids going off on their own and having adventures in New York City is great.